Rack with linear guide

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a rack with linear guide based on the structure of the invention of a parent application. The invention includes the braking module comprised of a braking device, braking block, transmission shaft and elastic device. The control end of the braking device expands towards one side of the slide rest to make the control end expose outside the rack for better control. The invention uses the transmission shaft to drive the braking block and uses the feature that the transmission shaft moves stably inside the internal base for durability. The braking block touches the rails to achieve the braking effect, and achieve a forceful braking effect.

RELATED U.S. APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/948,482, filed on 21 Sep. 2004, and entitled“RACK WITH LINEAR GUIDE”, presently pending.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a rack, and more particularly to a rack which linear guide allows for linear movement.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Generally, a rack is to be fixed at a certain place to hold and store articles. However, in some special locations, such as supermarkets and storehouses, the size and number of racks are too big ,and any relocation and sorting of articles requires a large amount of time and labor, resulting in a waste of time and labor force as well as increasing costs. Consequently, this kind of fixed rack is not desirable.

Based on this notion, the inventor has provided the present invention of“RACK WITH LINEAR GUIDE” as a continuation-in-part of the invention described in a co-pending parent patent application. After development of the invention of the parent patent, the inventor still seeks a better and more practical structure. The inventor found that a braking module disclosed in the original case can adapt another structure besides the structure defined in the original case to achieve the effect of a rack with linear guide; therefore, it is defined herein.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention mainly modifies part of the structure described in the parent application. The braking module A comprises braking device 50, braking block 60, transmission shaft 70 and elastic device 80. First, it uses the configuration that the control end 51 of the braking device 50 expands towards one side of the slide rest 20 to make the control end exposed to the external side of the rack 10 (as shown in FIG. 1), making it more convenient to control.

Next, the present invention uses the transmission shaft 70 to drive the braking block 60, and uses the transmission shaft 70 to move stably inside the internal base 90 for durability. Moreover, it uses the feature of the braking block 60 touching the rails 30 to achieve the braking effect and to achieve a more forceful braking effect than the invention of the parent application.

The above is a detailed description of the technical features of this invention. Any adjustment and revision of this invention should be subject to the invention and within the scope prescribed by the patent.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the partial structure of the invention.

FIG. 3 shows an exploded perspective view of the partial structure of the invention.

FIGS. 4-5 show lateral cross-sectional views of the movement of the braking component.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The features and the advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood upon a thoughtful deliberation of the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1-4, a rack with linear guide embodies the present invention.

A rack body 10 is composed of several shelves 11 and stings 12 of several directions (in this case, there are four directions). There are pre-set plugholes 13 at the end of each sting 12.

Slide rests 20 are divided into two groups and set at the ends of the two stings 12 of the rack body 10. This

-type slide rest is made of a metal plate and has a rut 21. At both ends of the slide rest 20, there are standing columns 22 to fit into the pre-set plugholes 13 at the end of each sting 12 of the rack body 21.

A compartmental roller 30 is fixed at the both ends of the rut 21 of the slide rest 20 by horizontal axis hitch 33. This compartmental roller 30 can be divided into left roller 31 and right roller 32, between which there is a compartmental rut 34. The bottom edges of the left and right rollers 31 32 are both bulging from the slide rest 20.

The invention includes two parallel sliding tracks 40, each being composed of several independent sliding rails 41 42 which are connected and fixed (via bolts) on the floor at the position of the rack 10 to bear the two slide rests 20. The rails 41 42 can be connected by flange 44 and concave rim 43. The section of the rail is convex, in the middle of which there is a convex edge 45 (see FIG. 4 for details). This convex edge 45 can fit into the compartmental rut 33 between the left and right rollers 31 32 and form a linear guide (see FIG. 3 for details).

A blocker 46 is fixed at the end of the rail 41 to stop slide rest 20 and keep the rack 10 on the rail 40.

Braking module A is fixed at the slide rest 20, and it comprises a braking device 50, a braking block 60, a transmission shaft 70 and an elastic device 80. Among them, the braking device 50 is fixed on the top surface 23 of the slide rest 20, and it comprises a control end 51 and a braking end 52. The braking end 52 is positioned pivotally, so that the control end 51 can use braking end 52 as a spinning point to oscillate up and down. The braking end 52 forms a curve section 53, and the control end 51 extends towards one side of the slide rest 20. The control end 51 of this embodiment is expanded like a “T” shape for human feet to step on. The braking block 60 is fixed at the bottom of the slide rest 20, so that the bottom of the braking block 60 can touch the rail 41 or 42. The transmission shaft 70 is placed inside the slide rest 20, and can be slid up and down in a limiting position. The bottom of the transmission shaft 70 is connected to the braking block 60, and the top 72 extends out to the top surface of the slide rest 20 and corresponds to the curve section of the braking device 50. The elastic device 80 can be restored upward by the transmission shaft 70.

Among them, the braking device 50 can be a bendable metal plate.

Among them, a U-shaped rest 24 can be placed on the top surface of the slide rest 20, and a cross axle 25 can be placed on the U-shaped rest 24 for the braking end 52 of the braking device 50 to position pivotally.

Among them, an internal base 90 can be placed inside the slide rest 20 for the transmission shaft 70, and a penetrating hole 91 can be placed inside the internal base 90 for the transmission shaft 70 to slide inside. The top of the penetrating hole 91 corresponds to a penetrating hole 230 at the top surface 23 of the slide rest 20. The penetrating hole 91 has an expanding section 92 for the top of the transmission shaft 70 to set a flange 73. The transmission shaft 70 is limited inside the expanding section 92, which limits the transmission shaft 70 sliding up and down. The elastic device 80 mentioned herein can be placed between the flange 73 of the transmission shaft 70 and a blocking edge at the bottom of the penetrating hole 91.

Among them, a screw hole 74 and a penetrating hole 61 may be placed at the bottom of the transmission shaft 70 and the braking block 60. A bolt 62 for the penetrating hole 61 of the braking block 60 is used to tighten the screw hole 74 of the transmission shaft 70, and to position the braking block and transmission shaft.

Through the above structure and design, the operation of the braking module 50 disclosed by the present invention is explained.

Because the braking module A disclosed in the present invention is fixed at the slide rest 20 of the rack, the operation of the braking module A can be stepping or picking it upward to control the control end 51 of the braking device 50 so that it is released in an upward angle, or braked in a downward angle.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the control end 51 of the braking device 50 of the braking module A is oscillating upward, the transmission shaft 70 can be pushed upward by the elastic device 80 and make the top of the transmission shaft 70 correspond to the first position 01 of the curve section of the braking device 50. Under this condition, the space between the braking block 60 of the braking module A and the rails 41 is loose so as to make the rack 10 slide.

As shown in FIG. 5, when the control end 51 of the braking device 50 is forced downward to the limiting position, it causes the top 72 of the transmission shaft 70 to press down by the curve section 53 of the braking device 50. Corresponding to the second position 02 of the curve section 53, and under this condition, the braking block 60 of the braking module A descends and is pushed against the rail 41 because the transmission shaft 70 descends, securing the rack and at the same time pressing the elastic device 80 to accumulate elasticity. Therefore, when the control end 51 of the braking device 50 is restored upward, it can use the elasticity of the elastic device 80 to support the transmission shaft 70 upward and make the braking block 60 come off rails 41.

Through the above structure and design, the rack 10 disclosed in the present invention can be placed on the rails 30 through the slide rest 2 at the bottom and achieve the purpose of linear slide within a pre-determined length (as shown in FIG. 1). The braking module 50 is further used to control the sliding or positioning state of the rack 10. 

1. A rack with linear guide comprising: a rack body with pre-set plugholes at an end of each sting of said rack body;

-type slide rests, having, at both ends thereof, standing columns to fit into said pre-set plugholes of said rack body, being located at a bottom of two sides of said rack body, and having wheels and rails on both ends thereof; compartmental roller, being divided into left roller and right roller and having a compartmental rut between the left and right rollers, bottom edges of the left and right rollers bulging from the slide rest; two parallel sliding tracks, each track being comprised of several independent sliding rails connected and fixed via bolts on a floor at a position of said rack body to bear two slide rests, the rails being connected by flange and concave rim, a section of a rail being convex, in a middle thereof, the rail having a convex edge fitting into said compartmental rut between the left and right rollers and forming a linear guide; a blocker fixed at an end of the rail to stop the slide rest and to keep the rack body on the rail; and a braking module fixed at the slide rest, said braking module comprising a braking device, a braking block, a transmission shaft and an elastic device, said braking device being fixed on a top surface of the slide rest and being comprised of a control end and a braking end, the braking end being positioned pivotally so that the control end can use said braking end as a spinning point to oscillate up and down, the braking end forming a curve section, said control end extending towards one side of the slide rest, said braking block being fixed at a bottom of the slide rest so that a bottom of the braking block can touch the rail, said transmission shaft being placed inside the slide rest and being slid up and down in a limiting position, a bottom of the transmission shaft being connected to the braking block, a top thereof extending out to a top surface of the slide rest and corresponding with the curve section of the braking device said elastic device be restored upward by the transmission shaft.
 2. The rack defined in claim 1, wherein connection of the rails is comprised of a fixed flange and concave rim.
 3. The rack defined in claim 1, further comprising: a U-shaped rest placed on the top surface of the slide rest, and a cross axle placed on the U-shaped rest for the braking end of the braking device to pivot.
 4. The rack defined in claim 1, further comprising: an internal base placed inside the slide rest for the transmission shaft, and a penetrating hole placed inside an internal base for the transmission shaft to slide inside, a top of a penetrating hole corresponding to a penetrating hole at the top surface of the slide rest, the penetrating hole having an expanding section for the top of the transmission shaft to set a flange, the transmission shaft being limited inside the expanding section, limiting the transmission shaft sliding up and down, the elastic device being placed between the flange of the transmission shaft and a blocking edge at the bottom of the penetrating hole.
 5. The rack defined in claim 1, wherein said screw hole and a penetrating hole is placed at the bottom of the transmission shaft and the braking block, a bolt for the penetrating hole of the braking block being used to tighten the screw hole of the transmission shaft and to position the braking block and transmission shaft.
 6. The rack defined in claim 1, wherein, when the control end of the braking device of the braking module is oscillating upward, the transmission shaft pushes upward by the elastic device, making a top of the transmission shaft correspond to the first position of the curve section of the braking device; and wherein, when the control end of the braking device is forced downward to the limiting position, the top of the transmission shaft is caused to be pressed down by the curve section of the braking device, corresponding to a second position of the curve section. 